nivek_wahs
02-23-2007, 12:36 PM
Found this on another message board...
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16744739.htm
He wears pink to help the fight
Wild goalie Josh Harding doesn't mask his feelings for sister's struggle with breast cancer.
BY BRIAN MURPHY
Pioneer Press
Like every NHL goaltender, Wild backup Josh Harding personalizes the colors and design of his mask. The look of his newest headgear is acutely personal.
His older sister, Stephanie, is fighting breast cancer back home in Regina, Saskatchewan. Feeling helpless in Minnesota, Harding joined the crusade.
He had his designer paint the words, "Fund The Fight" and "Find A Cure" on both sides and adorn the new mask with six pink ribbons — the international battle sign against the disease.
"If I was back home, I could go visit her. Being how far away I am, there's really nothing I can do, so I thought I'd show her that she obviously means a lot to me," Harding said Tuesday.
Stephanie Le Bruno, 26, was diagnosed in November and is scheduled to have her third surgery in early March before starting radiation treatment. She choked back tears when talking about her baby brother's gesture during a telephone interview from her office.
"It's pretty amazing. Because he can't be here, this is his way of being with me when I'm going through everything," said Le Bruno, an underwriter for a Regina insurance company. "I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. He just surprises me every day."
The most significant feature designed by North Branch, Minn., graphic artist Todd Miska is the ribbon-wearing angel on the back of the helmet. It is a digital replica of the broach Stephanie wears to every doctor's appointment.
"It's going to be with me for the next operation," said the married Le Bruno, who is optimistic about her recovery. "They caught it really early. It hasn't spread anywhere else."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women among the population of 32 million. Last year, more than 22,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 died from the disease, according to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The American Cancer Society reported about 41,000 women died from breast cancer in 2006 while approximately 275,000 new cases were diagnosed in the United States, which has almost 300 million people.
Josh Harding, 22, is the youngest of the three children, and he was devastated when he heard his second-oldest sister had cancer.
"Once it actually happens to you, it hurts a lot. It's a family member you really love. I can't say enough about her. She's an awesome person," he said. "It's tough luck that had to happen. We're going to try to get her the best treatment and try to get her better."
Harding is collecting autographed sticks from teammates and opponents across the NHL for an online auction after the season to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Last week, he pitched the concept of the mask to Miska, who counts Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom of the Wild, Ed Belfour of the Florida Panthers and Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames among his NHL clients.
Miska presented the finished product to Harding before Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars at the Xcel Energy Center.
"He took my idea and ran with it. I'm very happy with how it turned out," he said.
Harding also has no qualms about donning a predominantly pink piece of equipment in a sport chock full of machismo.
"I'll take the beating. It's for a great cause."
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16744739.htm
He wears pink to help the fight
Wild goalie Josh Harding doesn't mask his feelings for sister's struggle with breast cancer.
BY BRIAN MURPHY
Pioneer Press
Like every NHL goaltender, Wild backup Josh Harding personalizes the colors and design of his mask. The look of his newest headgear is acutely personal.
His older sister, Stephanie, is fighting breast cancer back home in Regina, Saskatchewan. Feeling helpless in Minnesota, Harding joined the crusade.
He had his designer paint the words, "Fund The Fight" and "Find A Cure" on both sides and adorn the new mask with six pink ribbons — the international battle sign against the disease.
"If I was back home, I could go visit her. Being how far away I am, there's really nothing I can do, so I thought I'd show her that she obviously means a lot to me," Harding said Tuesday.
Stephanie Le Bruno, 26, was diagnosed in November and is scheduled to have her third surgery in early March before starting radiation treatment. She choked back tears when talking about her baby brother's gesture during a telephone interview from her office.
"It's pretty amazing. Because he can't be here, this is his way of being with me when I'm going through everything," said Le Bruno, an underwriter for a Regina insurance company. "I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. He just surprises me every day."
The most significant feature designed by North Branch, Minn., graphic artist Todd Miska is the ribbon-wearing angel on the back of the helmet. It is a digital replica of the broach Stephanie wears to every doctor's appointment.
"It's going to be with me for the next operation," said the married Le Bruno, who is optimistic about her recovery. "They caught it really early. It hasn't spread anywhere else."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women among the population of 32 million. Last year, more than 22,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 died from the disease, according to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The American Cancer Society reported about 41,000 women died from breast cancer in 2006 while approximately 275,000 new cases were diagnosed in the United States, which has almost 300 million people.
Josh Harding, 22, is the youngest of the three children, and he was devastated when he heard his second-oldest sister had cancer.
"Once it actually happens to you, it hurts a lot. It's a family member you really love. I can't say enough about her. She's an awesome person," he said. "It's tough luck that had to happen. We're going to try to get her the best treatment and try to get her better."
Harding is collecting autographed sticks from teammates and opponents across the NHL for an online auction after the season to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Last week, he pitched the concept of the mask to Miska, who counts Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom of the Wild, Ed Belfour of the Florida Panthers and Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames among his NHL clients.
Miska presented the finished product to Harding before Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars at the Xcel Energy Center.
"He took my idea and ran with it. I'm very happy with how it turned out," he said.
Harding also has no qualms about donning a predominantly pink piece of equipment in a sport chock full of machismo.
"I'll take the beating. It's for a great cause."